Indians Prospect Insider

The Puerto Rican Winter League began play last night, giving us here at IPI more Indians prospects to follow. Eastern League champions Roberto Perez and Giovanni Soto headlined the Puerto Rican league's debut for the Tribe, while joining some old standbys in the Arizona Fall League. Join Jim Piascik as he takes you Around The Farm, recapping all the action from last night.

Few players are more fun to watch than Indians shortstop prospect Ronny Rodriguez. Not just because of the skills he shows on the diamond, but the fun and flair with which he plays the game that is so intoxicating and his neverending smile that endears him to so many fans. He is currently out in the Arizona Fall League showcasing his talents and having a fine showing there, and Tony recently talked to him about his AFL experience and his 2012 season.

Today we unveil the beginning of our 2013 prospect coverage here at the IPI with the first rankings piece of the Indians system. It goes without saying that first base is the organization’s biggest weakness on the position player front from the big leagues down to rookie ball. Tony sifts through every young first baseman up and down the system and ranks them all, talks about their skills, and if they are an option for the Indians in the future. Jesus Aguilar, Lars Anderson, Chun Chen, Adam Abraham, Jerrud Sabourin and all the rest of the first basemen in the system are profiled.

Welcome to the Indians Mr. Gomes. In his second game as an official member of the Cleveland Indians organization on Wednesday night, the newly acquired Yan Gomes had a big night in the Dominican Republic going long with three RBI. In addition to Gomes, pitchers Trey Haley and Hector Rondon continue to impress, Jose Ramirez continues to sizzle, and much more.

The Indians lost a long time member of their minor league system today as free agent third baseman/outfielder Jared Goedert agreed to a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, over the past few days they have added two players as they signed free agent infielder Luis Hernandez and resigned right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon, both to minor league deals.

The Indians have begun a long offseason in which they will try and compile a cost-effective group of new players to fill in several holes in the line-up. It's hard to know which direction the Indians will take going forward, but there are several name free agents that the Indians will likely target going forward. Here's a first look at those players...after the jump...

With preparations already underway here at the IPI for the new 2013 Indians prospect rankings and also a new position-by-position breakdown (starting later this week), Tony takes a look at values of all the minor league players that finished the season at Triple-A Columbus and Cleveland. Over the past few months during his research for the upcoming 2013 prospect listing he has spoken with numerous people within the Indians organization as well as scouts and personnel outside the organization, and shares those insights and more.

The Cavaliers appear to have found a diamond in the rough with their pick of Dion Waiters. Have they found their tandem that will carry them to the playoffs and beyond? The Browns played loose football against the Ravens, and it could have put the final nail in his coaching coffin. The Indians made some noise as well. Join Jim and Steve, as they welcome a surprise guest on the cyberwaves tonight, talking all Cleveland Sports!

The rest of the world may have been busy with Election Night and the Electoral College, but we here at IPI remained fixated on the offseason leagues and Indians prospects. And now that we got that corny and predictable teaser out of the way, I can tell you that Around The Farm will catch you up on Jose Ramirez's big night, on the scoring explosion in the Arizona Fall League, and the rest of last night's action.

The IPI's Steve Orbanek returns with his latest Then & Now. This week, Steve takes a look at outfielder Tim Fedroff, who is coming off a fantastic 2012 campaign between Akron and Columbus. However, Fedroff will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December, so what is his future in the organization moving forward? Steve takes a look after the jump.

Tony recently had a chance to sit down with hitting coach Jim Rickon and talk about several of the good, young players he worked with this season at Low-A Lake County. They discussed the strides Francisco Lindor made at the plate, the adjustments Jerrud Sabourin, Jake Lowery and Jordan Smith made, the behind the scenes work Leonardo Castillo and Luigi Rodriguez put in, and lots more. "Coach's Corner" is a weekly offseason feature with an Indians' coach and will post here at the IPI every Tuesday through the end of the year.

Indians players put up several good showings on Monday night in the fall and winter ball circuit. In Arizona, catcher Alex Monsalve continued to swing a hot bat while out in the Dominican Republic outfielder Tim Fedroff had his first big game since opening night over three weeks ago. Lots of players were in action, and Tony recaps it all in another edition of ATF after the jump...

In Tony's second part to his two-part Tribe Happenings this week, he discusses the new approach the Indians have adopted to building their roster. There have been a lot of meetings over the past month and they have welcomed change, but will they put their new approach into motion or fall into old habits? Tony wonders about that, talks about how they have made significant changes in the past with their draft strategy that has worked, and also talks about how a Kevin Youkilis, Terry Francona and Indians marriage fits like a glove.

Social media has become a huge part of professional sports as it provides a quick, easy way for fans to follow their favorite teams and personalities. I thought it would be a good idea for all the Twitter users out there to have a listing of all the Indians' related Twitter accounts....everything from the front office to the Major League players to the minor league affiliates to the minor league players....so here you go.

The Cleveland Indians had the same players on the diamond on Sunday as they did on Saturday, with a couple of additions. Gregorio Petit had a two-hit game, with two doubles. Tim Fedroff continues his five game hit streak, while Hector Rondon continued his five-game shutout streak. Find out about the rest of the Tribe organization...after the jump...

The Indians traded Esmil Rogers to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, acquiring shortstop Mike Aviles and catcher/infielder Yan Gomes. The move wasn't earth-shattering by anyone's standards, but as a first trade in what should be an aggressive offseason for Chris Antonetti, it may be a sign as to the direction the front office will take. Check out the potential scenarios as Jim Pete analyzes...after the jump...

The offseason got started in a busy way with the Indians making a flurry of roster decisions last week. On Saturday they made their opening salvo in what is expected to be a busy offseason and traded Esmil Rogers to the Blue Jays for Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes. Tony recaps the trade and gives lot of insight on the variety of things the move may mean for the club, and also discusses all the other roster and coaching decisions from earlier in the week.

The Indians big news of the day was a deal for Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes, and Around the Farm brings you the first player action from the trade, as Gomes is playing in the Dominican Winter League. Jesus Aguilar was busy with an extra-base hit, and Jose Ramirez continued his climb through the system. The Indians also had a couple of players in the AFL Rising Stars game. Join Jim Pete with another Winter League edition of ATF...after the jump.

The Cleveland Indians made their first move of the offseason Saturday as they acquired Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for right-handed reliever Esmil Rogers. Aviles appeared in 136 games for the Boston Red Sox last season and hit .250 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI.

Outside of right-handed reliever Cody Allen, no other player moved through the Indians’ system so quickly and at the same time saw his value soar more than right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong. He piggybacked his strong 2012 campaign with a trip to the Arizona Fall League to continue to test his abilities, develop his stuff, and prove he is ready for a big league opportunity at some point in 2013. Tony recently spoke to him out in Arizona and has all the details on how things are going for him.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!